For maximum wealth creation the value of a thing should be paid to the one who creates it. [see 'optimal price']

New words

"Land": any natural resource: mainly space on the ground, but also the sky, the electromagnetic spectrum, etc.
"Rent": regular payment for work.
"Land rent": rent for land's natural value: value before any buildings, planting, etc. Also called "land value tax".

Why a government should not tax work

Even if land rent costs the same as tax, it is fixed. So additional work is tax free.

The numbers

In most advanced nations, total taxation is around 40 percent of GDP.
In other words, on average, work that costs $100 without tax must be sold for $167 (so that subtracting 40% leaves $100).
So without taxes, additional work can be offered for just $100, resulting in many more sales.

More efficient land use

To avoid land rent [see 'land rent'], idle land will be sold to those who can use it.

Cheaper mortgages

Land rent cannot increase the total cost of land, as it is already at its maximum (for a given economy). [see notes]

Meanwhile interest rates cannot go higher, as they are already at their maximum (for a given economy). [see notes]

But more land will enter the market, so the land price will go down. [see 'land use']

Notes

Without land rent, land that is owned outright has minimal costs. Meanwhile banks can create loans at minimal cost due to fractional lending (where for every dollar they have they can lend ten to thirty dollars) and repossession (where defaults mean the bank owns the property). So they have no pressure to sell: they are free to withhold land or lending until they get the highest possible price. (Where charging even more means people use less land and borrow less.) So prices only go up when the economy goes up, so people are willing to pay more. But with land rent, land owners have to sell in order to avoid rent: they can no longer force prices up by not selling.

Lower costs for business

Land rent requires less paperwork (as it only measures one thing, and that thing does not change often). [by definition]

Land rent does not subsidise a dead weight of non-payers (as land cannot be hidden).

Notes

Making tax avoiders pay will not harm efficiency. In all but the least efficient nations, tax payers outnumber tax avoiders. So tax payers
compete and often win against non-tax payers. So these tax payers are more efficient at business. So by replacing non payer with payers there
is a net increase in efficiency.

So governments can compensate owners using bonds based on expected future value. [see notes]

Example

A government can issue notes that promise to buy land in 30 years. The
faster growing land rent economy means the price offered can be higher
than under tax. Those notes can then be sold right now, like any other
government bond. This provides immediate compensation for the temporary
fall in land price. Once the date arrives the government can buy the
land at the agreed rate, then immediately sell it at a profit due to the
expanding economy.

Land rent is an extremely sensitive measure

Land rent is simple: just one thing to measure (not thousands of taxes). [see 'land rent']

Land has a very high value, so even a very small change is worth measuring.

There are millions of plots of lands to compare, so even tiny influences can be identified statistically.

Examples

A single bad neighbour will reduce the price of many houses by thousands of dollars. Good neighbours raise house values. A tiny change in government behaviour adds or takes thousands. So all are worth measuring.

A Christina or Libertarian group might say "let us do X and we will guarantee your rent", or "let us do Y and we will empty our own trash, thus saving you money." Once it is shown to work others will come up with ideas.

A government's minimum role is to represent the people. That is, to gather the rent that is created by society as a whole. What they do with that rent is up for negotiation. This creates infinite potential for doing things better.

Why land rent measures a government's value

Governments should get all their money from land rent. [see 'land-rent' and 'tax']

More sharing of information

Land rent creates more jobs [see 'ending tax'],
so if a land-rent government mis-uses data the people can simply leave
and encourage others to do the same. Such a government loses rent and risks bankruptcy.

Current governments obtain data against our will, so the data has a high proportion of noise, and serious gaps.

If a person especially hates crime they can just join a government where ending crime is a priority. [see 'government value']
That is, where people share even more information and the penalties are
even higher. Scientific government will show exactly what works best. [see 'scientific government']

More happiness

Rent is a measure of how much you want to live in an area. [by definition]

So if governments only have land rent, they must compete to make people happier.

No stress

Land rent only charges per unit land. [by definition]

So if you don't use much land you can live extremely cheaply.

So with low rent added to the previous advantages (plenty of jobs, low prices, ideal government, general happiness) you have no cause for stress.

Example

If you don't want to work much: choose a tall building on cheap land,
so your share of land rent is very low. Live simply. Land rent drives
down prices, so you will only need to work a few hours per week. Spend
the rest of the week in bed, or walking in nature, or with friends.

The most able workers will be in most demand [by definition].
As poor nations lose their best workers they will become ever weaker,
and more open to adopting land rent themselves in order to survive.
Likewise, corrupt nations will lose workers, so they must improve in
order to survive.

A beautiful world

Anything that makes land more attractive to workers will raise the rent a government can claim. [see 'happiness']

Death on a catastrophic scale could be caused by Asteroid impact,
Nuclear war, Plague, etc. Land rent creates more wealth and better
government, so there will be more research to be ready for disasters,
and more wealth and cooperation to solve them.